Filling porous wood

[recurvericky]

What is the best way to fill pores in a wood riser? My riser is red elm and in some areas the pores are very noticable.

[brent d.]

I use super glue. the runny kind. then sand/steel wool it off and repeat as necessary.

[recurvericky]

Does the superglue stain the wood?

[M60gunner]

I have seen where the finish (poly) was sanded while it was not setup yet with very fine sand paper. Then another put on, sanded and on and on until the finish was glass smooth. This method is taught at the JC college wood shop as a finishing class. It sure wooks on red oak which is used for the projects by most students.

[OconeeDan]

You can also use 2ton epoxy, the slow setting kind.  Wipe on with a finger (wearing latex glove), let dry, sand smooth.  Fills in nicely.  
Wipe on as thin as you can, the stuff is very hard when it cures and can take a while to sand down.
Dan

[killinstuff]

I've made a number of gun stocks and used a stock filler from Brownells. Kinda like a stain but with tiny fill material that fills in the pores only. Wipe it on, let it dry, steel wool. Do that a couple of times and wood is smooth as glass and you won't see the pores. Will darken the wood a little but also highlights the grain.

[BAK]

Good post.  Have seen and bought brand new bows that did not have the grain filled in.  Seems to be a lost art for many bowyers.

[imskippy]

After doing the superglue trick will a finish need to be applied or does a fine steel wool polish it up again. I dropped my bow this fall and have a small ding in the front of the handle I'd like to fill?

[killinstuff]

For a dent in the wood, plug in the iron, get it hot and then place a wet rag on the dent and apply the iron. The steam will pull the dent most of the way out. I wouldn't put wood filler in it, might look ugly but sand it lightly with 1000 grit paper and a little poly, oil, super glue, whatever finish.

[brent d.]

I still apply a finish but you will need a coat or two less after using the superglue. I havent noticed any change in color after using it, but I would wear some eye protection while applying cause it can affect your eyes if you are right over it.
I wouldnt worry about additional finish over your "ding" fix. Steel wool will take everything off that is not in the dent. It will look matte after though so if you like shiny, you may elect to put something over it.

[MikeC]

I have done a few refinishes on flintlock rifles and there are a couple of ways to do it right.

One is to use a store purchased filler and the other which I prefer was mentioned above by M60Gunner.  I do that for the first couple of heavy wet coats of tung-oil finish, once I'm satisfied the remaining coats are light hand rubbed coats for a classic in the wood finish.  It's PC also for anyone who cares about that although that doesn't come into play with bows, different story with traditional MZ's.

[Mike Byrge@home]

I know this sounds silly but I've refinished several bows and a couple of gun stocks using this method.  I got the idea from a gun magazine several years ago and was skeptical but it works.

1. rub lemon juice on the wood and let it dry
2. rub raw egg-whites into the wood and let it dry
3.  After the egg-whites dry sand the entire surface.
4. Wipe down with a dry rag and repeat steps 1 through 3 using finer grit paper.
5. After 3-4 iterations the wood will begin to get shiny and "look" like it has a finish on it.

I've never used a stain after doing this but I have used both penetrating finishes such as tung-oil and surface finishes like minwax wipe-on poly with good results.

Another option is to just buy a sanding sealer and following the instructions.  I know minwax has one that works well with their other products.

[tim-flood]

most good woodworking places will have exactly what you need and in different colors

[OconeeDan]

Mike, do you lick the bow after step 2 or step 3?

Just kidding!  Never heard of anything like that!
Dan

[jeff w]

What tim-flood said, go to/contact a woodworking store that carries finishing products and get pore-filler.

[Jeff Roberts]

Not wanting to thread rob here but I am trying to refinish a Bamboo Longhunter that has spent to much time and neglect in the swamps for a couple of decades. There are several places that have water stains and they seened to have soaked into the grain and keep absorbing my stain. Should I keep staining those spots as it keeps a dull look to it compared to the rest of the riser or is there something else I need to do? Thanks

[Crimson mist]

If it's bare wood then wet sand with a sanding sponge let dry then sand with 220, wet sand again with 320 wet dry paper let dry sand with 320 or 400 and finish